The International Casting Directors Association proudly established the ICDA Award for Excellence in Casting in 2016, and has continued to recognise outstanding achievements in casting by our colleagues – members and non-members alike – every year since.
As of 2020, our award has a new name, the Semiramis Award for Excellence in Casting, along with a statuette designed by Swiss master sculptor Peter Hartmann.
The ICDA’s purpose in creating this award was to shine a light on the pivotal role that casting directors play in the creative process of filmmaking.
A visible presence of casting directors at any film festival is automatically an opportunity to raise awareness about the importance of casting to quality filmmaking. To this end, we always create a rich programme of events around our award presentation. These events have been highly successful at previous festivals, and will surely continue.
Read more about the award winners, workshops presented by ICDA over the years and the history of the award.
Past winners
- 2022 Kjersti Paulsen (Norway) for THE INNOCENTS by Eskil Vogt
- 2021 Lucy Pardee (UK) for ROCKS by Sarah Gavron
- 2020 Élodie Demey (FR) for HORS NORMES by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano
- Co-casting by Marie-France Michel (FR) and Justine Léocadie (FR)
- 2019 Sara Törnkvist (SE) for BORDER by Ali Abbasi
- 2018 Francesco Vedovati (IT) for DOGMAN by Matteo Garrone
- 2017 Harika Uygur (TR) for MUSTANG by Deniz Gamze Ergüven
- 2016 Antoinette Boulat (FR) & Elsa Pharaon (FR) for STANDING TALL by Emanuelle Bercot
ICDA Workshops (2016 to 2023)
2023
The International Casting Directors Association (ICDA) was heavily involved in the Berlinale and EFP Shooting Stars programme in 2023. 41 of our members participated in events from 18th to 20th February in Berlin.
On 18th February, ICDA organised a speed-dating event for Ukrainian actors who are registered in the actors’ database Aktorky-ta-aktory.org.
39 actors, most of whom have fled Ukraine and are currently living in Berlin and across Germany, came together with 21 international casting directors for a three-hour meet-and-greet to introduce themselves and their work in person. The aim was to support the artists in a practical and appreciative manner in light of the ongoing war.
Nancy Bishop, Ewa Brodzka, Nathalie Chéron, Domnica Circiumaru, Laurent Couraud, Anja Dihrberg- Siebler, Sofia Dimopoulou, Corinna Glaus, Timka Grin, Susanne Groen, Djamila Hansen, Yngvill Kolset-Haga, Kristina Kolytė, Beatrice Kruger, Ellen Sofie Michelsen, Jo Monteiro, Anders Nygaard, Dalia Survilaite, Rebecca van Unen, Lana Veenker and Jeremy Zimmermann all participated in the event on behalf of the ICDA.
Aktorky-ta-aktory.org and its supporters have been providing assistance to integrate Ukrainian actors into the European film industry since March 2022, with the help of CastUpload and its founder, David Zitzlsperger.
At the Actors Industry Network (AIN) at Berlinale on 19th February, ICDA presented a case study on the film Music by Angela Schanelec. The panel focused on the challenges of international casting in international co-productions and featured Kirill Krasovski (Faktura Film, Germany), Vladimir Vidić (Dart Film, Serbia), ICDA member Makis Gazis (casting director, Greece), and Pippa Harrison (Spotlight, United Kingdom).
Moderated by Amra Bakšić Čamo (SCCA/pro.ba, Bosnia and Herzegovina) the case study focused on the challenging task of setting up this co-production between Germany, France and Serbia, which was shot in Greece with an international cast, and ultimately utilising the casting process to make great discoveries.
2022
As part of the award ceremony for ICDA’s Semiramis Award for Excellence in Casting at Torino Film Festival, we had the pleasure of hosting a joint panel with our sponsors Spotlight, as well as Unione Italiana Casting Directors (UICD), LARA and agenti spettacolo associati on the subject of “Casting Directors, Talent Agents and Casting Platforms – How to Turbocharge Your Acting Career With the Right Connections”.
Our panel presented to a full room and answered interesting and broad questions on the subject of casting. The session was also streamed live to our Facebook and Instagram pages.
Our programme in Torino concluded with a Q&A session for students from the theatre schools SCUOLA DEL TEATRO STABILE DI TORINO and SCUOLA DEL TEATRO NAZIONALE DI GENOVA at the stunning Teatro Gobetti. The students were able to meet casting directors Morgana Bianco, Barbara Giordiani, Francesco Vedovati, Lilia Hartmann Trapani and Lana Veenker.
2019
2019’s “Casting at the Heart of Filmmaking” programme included an international masterclass for Balkan actors (with the SFF as the primary sponsor), panel discussions with casting directors, and a Meals for Monologues charity event to aid refugees in Bosnia-Herzegovina.
Participating ICDA members: Corinna Glaus (CH), Nathalie Chéron (FR), Beatrice Kruger (IT), Piotr Bartuszek (PO), Marina Wijn (NL) and Sofia Dimopoulou (GR)
2018
A case study on the casting of three films, with the two leading actors plus:
- ICDA member Francesco Vedovati (IT), casting director of DOGMAN and winner of the 2018 ICDA Award for Excellence in Casting
- ICDA member Magdalena Szwarcbart (PO), casting director of COLD WAR
- ICDA vice-president Timka Grin (BiH), casting director of NEVER LEAVE ME
- Aida Begic, director of NEVER LEAVE ME
A discussion headed by former ICDA Chairwoman Debbie McWilliams for visiting directors and producers: “How to use casting directors to your best advantage, from attaching your leads to assembling the perfect cast.”
Meals for Monologues, a charity event for the refugees of Bosnia-Herzegovina, sponsored by ICDA and Spotlight, where actors performed monologues before a panel of international casting directors in exchange for their donations of food, toys, toiletries and clothing for the refugees. All proceeds went to Sarajevo’s respected non-profit aid organization Pomozi.ba.
ICDA workshops, in which members worked individually with 15 professional actors from former Yugoslavia who had been selected by the festival, focusing on acting for the international market.
Participating ICDA members: Anja Dihrberg-Siebler (DE), Tusse Lande (SE), Harika Uygur (TR), Nancy Bishop (UK/CZ), Lana Veenker (USA) and Beatrice Kruger (IT)
One-on-one meetings with ICDA members: organised by the festival’s industry section CineLink, producers and directors had the opportunity to discuss their upcoming projects with an international casting director.
2017
A panel entitled “Profession: Casting Director” and a Q&A session for all festivalgoers at the Locarno Film Festival.
Three masterclasses on casting for the students of the Locarno Industry Academy.
A conversation entitled “Eyes on the Stars – Meet with ICDN Casting Directors” was exclusively for accredited producers and directors of the Locarno industry and formed part of the festival’s Alliance for Development project.
Participating ICDA members: Simone Bär (DE), Nancy Bishop (CZ/UK), Constance Demontoy (FR), Anja Dihrberg-Siebler (DE), Corinna Glaus (CH), Timka Grin (BA), Debbie McWilliams (UK), Rebecca Van Unen (NL), Francesco Vedovati (IT) and Beatrice Kruger (IT).
2016
A panel on international casting for Locarno Film Festival’s Alliance for Development project.
Participating ICDA members: Corinna Glaus (CH), Lana Veenker (US), Jeremy Zimmerman (UK), Annette Trumel (FR), Anja Dihrberg-Siebler (DE) and Beatrice Kruger (IT).
History of the award
After establishing the ICDA in 1998 as an informal network, we continued to meet each February at the Berlinale during European Film Promotion’s Shooting Stars programme, and to collaborate with one another on co-productions throughout the remainder of the year.
Noting the lack of recognition of casting directors in virtually all major awards programmes, we set out to create the ICDA Award for Excellence in Casting, in order to raise awareness of our profession, and recognise the exceptional craft and talent of our colleagues around the globe.
We initially joined forces with the Locarno Film Festival, which hosted our very first award in 2016. Backed by the festival and the UK casting platform Spotlight, we also wanted to share our expertise via workshops, panels and other events. A significant achievement from that year was that the Locarno Film Festival adapted the template of their official festival catalogue so that the casting director is always named in the film description, together with the DoP, production designer and costume designer.
In 2017, the ICDA once again presented its Award for Excellence in Casting at the Locarno Festival, along with a cocktail reception, industry panels, and a masterclass for actors.
In 2018, we moved our award venue to the Sarajevo Film Festival, where we were able to accompany the award with an even richer programme of events. Sarajevo, too, adapted its official festival catalogue to list casting directors.
The SFF invited six ICDA members, organised an all-day ICDA masterclass for 15 regional actors, and hosted a prize-giving ceremony for the Award for Excellence in Casting, followed by a cocktail party. Our members also participated in various programmes including a Talent Campus lecture, a panel entitled “Coffee With…,” and a very interesting case study for the festival’s industry guests. The ICDA also hosted Meals for Monologues, a charity event for refugees, which was open to all interested actors.
In 2019, we became official partners of the Sarajevo Film Festival, once again offering our “Casting at the Heart of Filmmaking” programme, comprised of a three-day ICDA masterclass, a Meals for Monologues charity drive, an industry panel, the Talent Campus, dinners, red carpets and press events. The ICDA and SFF were fully involved from the beginning, with Spotlight once again there to support us.
Due to COVID-19, we presented our award virtually in 2020, in collaboration with Sitges Film Festival in Barcelona, where we also unveiled our official statuette and new award name: the Semiramis Award for Excellence in Casting. Spanish actress Melina Matthews presented the honours at a hybrid live-and-online ceremony, with Barcelona-based ICDA member Luci Lenox on the red carpet.
In 2021, the Semiramis Award for Excellence in Casting was presented as part of Industry@Tallinn & Baltic Event and the Black Nights Film Festival subprogramme Black Nights Stars. The Award was handed out to researcher and BAFTA-winning casting director Lucy Pardee for Rocks by Sarah Gavron (2020).
The award was presented at Black Nights Film Festival with some (due to pandemic restrictions) ICDA members present, including Tusse Lande, Piotr Bartuszek, Lana Veenker, Timka Grin, Jantsu Puumalainen and Lilia Hartmann Trapani. Pardee accepted her award by video from London.
In 2022, COVID restrictions were finally lifted, and ICDA was able to once again host a live event for its Semiramis Award for Excellence in Casting. This time, the organisation collaborated with the prestigious Torino Film Festival in Italy.
On 26th November, the Semiramis Award ceremony took place at the beautiful Cinema Romano. Winner Kjersti Paulsen (THE INNOCENTS) was presented with our Semiramis statue by no other than Italian director, actor and writer Marco D’Amore.
The next day, ICDA had the pleasure of hosting a joint panel with our sponsors Spotlight, as well as Unione Italiana Casting Directors (UICD), LARA and agenti spettacolo associati on the subject of “Casting Directors, Talent Agents and Casting Platforms – How to Turbocharge Your Acting Career With the Right Connections”.
Our panel presented to a full room and answered interesting and broad questions on the subject of casting. The session was also streamed live to our Facebook and Instagram pages.
Our programme in Torino concluded with a Q&A session for students from the theatre schools SCUOLA DEL TEATRO STABILE DI TORINO and SCUOLA DEL TEATRO NAZIONALE DI GENOVA at the stunning Teatro Gobetti. The students were able to meet casting directors Morgana Bianco, Barbara Giordiani, Francesco Vedovati, Lilia Hartmann Trapani and Lana Veenker.
